Fighting for Their Country: Minorities at War

The Korean War saw a huge shift in the way that American soldiers fought. During the war, troops became wholly desegregated for the first time in the country's history. Minorities Fighting in Korea traces the stories of brave minority troops, including profiles of Hispanic and African American Medal of Honor recipients. The book describes the lives of soldiers, provides an overview of the Korean War, and explains what happened in a rapidly changing America after the war's conclusion.

The time period surrounding the Civil War was fraught with racism, the horrific conditions of slavery, and violence against freedmen. Though history remembers the war as one waged on behalf of African Americans, in reality, many African Americans participated in the conflict themselves. This book describes how African Americans fought in segregated units led by white officers, their achievements on the battle field (including sixteen Medals of Honor before war's end), and more.

During WWI, American minority soldiers fought in segregated units under white American officers. Some of these units fell under American command and others under French command. There was a marked difference in the way that these soldiers were treated, often French commanders extended a level of respect to their minority troops that American commanders did not. The difference in soldiers' experiences was symptomatic of the racism minorities faced on the home front. This book looks at the valor of minority soldiers, what life was like before and after the war, and the way cultural shifts began when minority soldiers fought alongside Europeans.

The heroism of minority soldiers during World War II is widely known: the Tuskegee Airmen are some of the most celebrated aviators in military history. Yet minority soldiers faced immense hardship during the war like racism and prejudice. This book looks at these soldiers' struggles, their triumphs, and the way that life changed for minorities after the war.

The Vietnam War was the first war that was fought from the outset by completely desegregated American troops. However, racism was abundant during the war, and the percentage of minority casualties were substantially higher than that of white troops because minority soldiers were often positioned on the front lines. This book provides a close look at the role of African American and Hispanic soldiers in the war while also explaining the quest for racial equality in the Vietnam era.

Although African Americans and Native Americans faced racism, unequal treatment, and even slavery in the colonial period, minority soldiers fought bravely for both the British and the Americans in the Revolutionary War. This book looks at the contributions of Native American and African American soldiers and spies, contextualizing their experiences before and after the war. The book also provides information about the war itself and two case studies that trace minority soldiers' heroism in detail.